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Research on Visual and Media Literacy

Digital Literacy to teach social studies

Jimmy Vinson and Tonia Clark
University of West Georgia

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Article Review 1
Title and brief description of paper
The title of the research I read about Digital Literacy to teach social studies is
Exploring Freedom and leaving a Legacy: Enacting New Literacies with Digital Texts in
the Elementary Classroom, written jointly by James Damico, Assistant Professor in
language education at Indiana University, Bloomington, and Ruthie Riddle teaches in the
Lansing Michigan school district (Damico & Riddle, 2006). The research provided a look
into how Digital Literacy taught students about history involving Social Studies.
Summary of the review of literature
The primary text, Freedom Train: the story of Harriet Tubman, showed students
and Ruthie read and respond to a range of other texts, including ten picture books, two
movies, and several songs. The study also showed social practices and different
dimensions as the literature unit progressed.
Analysis of methodology
The research model was a Social Injustice Chart. This research model allowed the
students to research their topics, writing and revising their texts, and rehearsing their
performances for Exploring Freedom CD. There were 11 Topics, Genre, Setting,
Description, and modes. There were a total of 27 students in the study. Out of all the
students 6 of them topic was about slavery, where they skit was written and performed
that shows some slaves escaping while others are caught and beaten.
Summary of results
The information shows students working with poetry and how they dealt with
issues of power and social injustices namely racial and discrimination. But it shows how

some students got through this hard time of racial and discrimination by poetry, and how
others still had a hard time with getting through social injustice.
My opinion about research
This was one of the interesting studies I have ever read and reviewed. It was
well prepared and clear. It was very understandable to where most of the
information that I read was very precise and to the point. It also showed me how
some students got through difficult times by being creative and doing poetry.
What did I learn from the study
I learned that Digital Literacy to teach social studies shows us in detail about
how history still repeats itself. Teachers defiantly could use new concept with how to
translate old articles from past time to up to date articles. That will help the
students of today have a clear understanding and it will enhance their learning
skills.
Article Review 2
Title and brief description of paper
The title of the research I read about Digital Literacy to teach social studies is A
Multiliteracies Pedagogy: Exploring Semiotic Possibilities of a Disney Video in a Third
Grade Diverse Classroom, written by Lasisi Ajayi. The research provided a look
into how Digital Literacy taught students about history involving Video in a diverse class.
Summary of the review of literature
J.P. Gee (2003) theory of Situated Practice posits that literacy is a socially
situated practice. Gee suggests that literacy practices are situation-specific and based on

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situated practice. Based on the theory of Situated Practice, Gee (2004), posits that
learning to read is a cultural process situated in students everyday practices. For
example, students in their everyday literacy practices, use different skills to interpret
different types of texts and media, including visual images, complex language,
video games, the Internet, e-mail, text messaging, Web blog, etc. Gee insists that literacy
practice is ingrained in social practices: Knowing about social practice
always involves recognizing various distinctive ways of acting, interacting, valuing,
feeling, knowing, and using various objects and technologies that constitute the
social practice.
Analysis of methodology
The research model was made up students drawings, fieldwork observation
record. There were Twenty-five third-grade students14 boys and 11 girlsparticipated
in the study. There were 22 Hispanics and three AfricanAmericans. Seven students were
classified as English-only, five as English proficient (EP) and 13 as English learners
(EL). The ELLs were sub-classified according to their English proficiency levels: one
student was in Early Intermediate, eight in Intermediate, three in the Early Advanced and
one in Advanced. The data provided by the teacher indicated that 63% of the students

Research on Visual and Media Literacy

were reading below grade-level. Students whose annotated drawings were analyzed for
the study met specific criteria: (a) they attended all the teaching sessions, (b) they
completed one drawing, and (c) they used words to describe their images. Images that
best represent the key findings of the study were analyzed.

Summary of results
The students used semiotic resources to explore their social identities in their
literacy practices. The students seemed to be more reflexively conscious of their
interpretation based on their own backgrounds and perspectives. The result shows that
a student name Derrick interpretation of the video focused on the king, queen
and their pet, even though there was no pet in the original video. Derrick was African
American. He was classified as English-only. His record showed that he was reading
below grade level.
My opinion about research
This was another great study I have reviewed. It was straight to the point, and
clear. The primary question of the study was: What does black color mean in
classrooms with African-Americans? Why does Sleeping Beauty represent women as
witches while on the other hand portray a man (Phillips) as a prince and savior? Because
asking these critical questions is central to literacy learning as issues of sexuality, gender
roles, ethnic and cultural representations are a site of political, cultural and ideological
struggle.
What did I learn from the study
I learned that Digital Literacy to teach social studies shows us in detail about how
some African American were below grade level in reading. Also, how teachers need to
push students to their potential so they could become great readers., and improve their
learning skills.
Article Review 3

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Title and Brief Description
The title of this article is Every Picture Tells a Story: A Study of Teaching Methods Using
Historical Photographs with Elementary Students by Theresa M. McCormick and Janie
Hubbard. The first author, McCormick is an Associate Professor of Social Studies
Elementary Education in the Department of Curriculum and Teaching at Auburn
University. Her area of research is in the reflective and professional decision making of
elementary teacher candidates when introducing students to historical primary resources.
Ms. Hubbard is an Assistant Professor of Curriculum and Instruction, specializing in
elementary social studies education at the University of Alabama.
The purpose of this study was to examine how two elementary teacher candidates
integrated historical photographs into history lessons. The research questions posed for
this study are as follows: (1) What rationale do elementary teacher candidates have for
selecting historical photographs when teaching concepts? (2)What instructional strategies
do elementary teacher candidates incorporate when guiding elementary students analysis
of historical photographs? The strategies used in the planning process, implementation
and their reflection on the history lesson was also investigated.
Review of Literature:
The review of literature focused on the instructional methods that are employed when
teaching students about history. The research showed that teaching strategies used when
students are taught history influences the attitudes they have about the content.
Additionally, their interests to learn about history, what they learn, how much they retain,
and its effects on the personal lives are all impacted. For example, if students are
lectured about the importance of the past, they are less inclined to discover the
significance of past events for themselves. Therefore, the literature suggested finding
innovative strategies to teach students how to think from a historical perspective in ways
they have never experienced.
Analysis of Methodology:
The participants in this study were two elementary teacher candidates enrolled in
elementary methods courses in a large, public university in the southeast. During a 15week semester, candidates spent 30 minutes conducting a mini-lesson with students on a
weekly basis. One candidate implemented a history lesson with 1 st grade students on the
Civil Rights Movement. The other candidate taught a lesson to 4 th graders about the
Great Depression. The sources of data consisted of lesson plans, historical photographs,
descriptions of how they used primary sources in lesson plans and their reflections about
lesson implementation. Data from the researchers field notes and formal observations
were also used.
Summary of Results:

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Both candidates revealed that the use of the historical photographs sparked curiosity and
helped students develop empathy for the discrimination children encountered before the
Civil Rights Movement and for those children affected by the Depression. The candidate
for the first grade students considered the prior knowledge these learners had about
fairness and posed questions accordingly as they viewed the photos of whites and blacks
in classrooms before the Civil Rights Movement. The other candidate was able to get
fourth graders to experience the life of a child during the Great Depression by reading
letters written by children to Mrs. Roosevelt in addition viewing historical pictures
showing their faces, clothes, and housing conditions.
Opinion of Research:
This research article is beneficial and demonstrates how visual literacy can be integrated
into history lessons for students. This study also shows how teacher candidates are
currently being prepared to teach 21st century learners.
What I Learned:
I became aware of teaching strategies to employ when using historical photos with
students. It was interesting for me to see how young students were impacted by the
photographs as they learned about the Civil Rights Movement. This article proves that
the use of visual aids can help students grasp complex topics and apply to their personal
experiences.
Article 4
Title and Description:
The title of the article is Bitstrips and Storybird: Writing Development in a Blended
Literacy Camp. The author is Jessica Wertz, a former high school English teacher and
current doctoral student at the University of Cincinnati. She is studying adolescent
literacy and teaches educational technology courses to teacher candidates. The purpose
of this article is to investigate the integration of Web 2.0 technologies in writing
instruction with upcoming fifth and sixth grade students in a Summer Digital Literacy
Camp. The instructors guided students and taught them how to write persuasive comic
strips and digital storybooks.
Summary of the Review of Literature:
The literature focused on the importance of student engagement in digital literacies in
education. In order to adequately prepare students for 21st century, educators must think
of innovative ways to engage students with digital literacy in schools to the same degree
they are engaged with it outside of school. Educators should also be mindful that the
Common Core English Language Arts State Standards mandate that all K-12 students use
a variety of digital tools to publish and produce their writings. The literature also
discussed that since most students entering school are literate in digital production, it is

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crucial now more than ever for teachers to adapt to new roles of educating twenty first
century learners.
Analysis of Methodology:
For the research study, 12 upcoming fifth and sixth grade students in need of literacy
intervention participated in a Summer Digital Literacy Camp lead by two teachers and
undergraduate Etutors. The study occurred over a three week period and students met
daily on a university campus for 3 hours. Data was collected through surveys,
observations, and discussions. The persuasive comic strips and the digital storybooks
created by participants were also collected from participants. The overall them of the
final projects were bullying and sibling rivalry.
Summary of Results:
The results indicated that students and teachers were able to engage ideas generated from
personal knowledge of issues made learning through technology more meaningful.
Teachers noted that the creation of comic strips and digital storybooks gave voice to the
life experiences of students. Additionally, as students immersed themselves in utilizing
the digital literacy tools, the focus was less on remediation of literacy skills and shifted
their perceptions about participating in the summer camp.
Opinion about the Research:
In my opinion, this was a great research study. In just three short weeks, the author was
able to observe the impact of student engagement in technology grounded in their
personal issues and experiences. This made the involvement more significant to students
and kept them interested in learning new digital literacy skills. They also had the
opportunity to collaborate and share learning with other participants.
What I Learned:
This article was beneficial and valuable to my research. I discovered new ways to
approach integrating digital literacy tools into lessons by creating comics through
Bitstrips and digital narratives through Storybird. I anticipate using the teaching
strategies and application tools in the future with students.
Article 5
Title and Description:
The title of this article is Understanding History through the Visual Images in Historical
Fiction. The author is Suzette Youngs, an Assistant Professor of Reading Education at
the University of Northern Colorado. Her research interests include the visual literacy
and integration of history and childrens responses to picture books. The purpose of this
study was to investigate how students in a fifth-grade classroom used the visual images in
historical fiction picture books to construct meaning of design elements and textual
features. The three aspects of picture books discussed are text, image, and design.
Review of Literature:

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The literature reviewed in this article discussed several benefits of historical fiction
picture books to teach history to students. Some of the benefits to readers are: (1)
indirect experience of the past, (2) the chance to think about the past and empathize with
characters, (3) understand human challenges and relationships, and (4) the opportunity to
compare and contrast issues from the past and present. Picture books support the social
studies curriculum and includes multiple modes for students to interpret meaning. The
relationships between text, visuals, images and design elements are essential to interpret
and understand the overall meaning of words and pictures.
Analysis of Methodology:
The qualitative study was conducted by a university researcher over a four month period
in a fifth-grade classroom. There were a total of 10 whole-class read-aloud sessions in 90
minute blocks. Picture books were selected based on four historical era in the social
studies curriculum: Slavery, the Holocaust, Japanese Interment, and Civil Rights. The
pictures are included profound text and images that enhanced the relationships between
the two aspects. Data collected included field notes, video/audio recordings of readalouds, transcripts of whole and small group classroom discussions, interviews with
teacher, student reader response notebooks, written artifacts, and classroom charts.
Summary of Results:
In order to determine if the meaning students referred to during readings were influenced
by visual images, printed text or both, the data sets were reviewed based on their turns
and responses to questions. Data indicated that 61% of conversation turns were in
respond to visual images, 14% were in response to printed text, and 25% were in
response to both image and text together. The visual image data was then used to code
the responses as literal or interpretive. Literal responses were 25% and interpretive
responses were 65%. By the end of the first two months, there was a decrease in the
number of literal responses and a dramatic increase in interpretive responses.
Opinion of Research:
The research in this study was valuable and demonstrated that picture books are an
excellent way to teach students the elements of art and the Learn to Look technique.
Although the study only lasted four months, the students benefitted and learned how to
interpret meaning between pictures and words. I feel that picture books can be used
across the curriculum to help students understand other complex topics.
What I Learned:
This article was valuable to my research topic. I discovered new methods to guide
students through picture books and how to employ the Learn to Look technique. I also

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learned how to select compelling picture books that include text and images which will
yield more interpretative responses from students.

References

Damico, J., & Riddle, R. (2006). Exploring freedom and leaving a legacy: Enacting new
literacies with digital texts in the elementary classroom. Language Arts, 84(1), 34-44.
Ajayi, L. (2011). A multiliteracies pedagogy: Exploring semiotic possibilities of a Disney
video in a third grade diverse classroom. The Urban Review, 43(3), 396-413.
McCormick, T. M., & Hubbard, J. (2011). Every picture tells a story: A study of teaching
methods using historical photographs with elementary students. Journal of Social
Studies Research, 35(1), 80-94.
Wertz, J. A. (2014). Bitstrips and storybird: Writing development in a blended literacy
camp. Voices from the Middle, 21(4), 24-32.

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Youngs, S. (2012). Understanding history through the visual images in historical fiction.
Language Arts, 89(6), 379-395.